MLB Player News

Carpenter (finger) will return to the lineup Wednesday against the Pirates, Jim Hayes of FOX Sports Midwest reports.

The laceration on Carpenter's finger, which he suffered while fielding a groundball during Sunday's game, has evidently healed to the point where it's no longer a major hindrance. Carpenter is off to a slow start this season with eight hits (only one for extra bases) in his first 36 at-bats. He will look to get it going against right-hander Gerrit Cole.

McCutchen, who will bat third Wednesday afternoon, has 12 hits in 25 career at-bats against Cardinals starter Michael Wacha.

McCutchen is playing with a chip on his shoulder right now. He made several strong plays while patrolling center field for the first time in 2017 on Tuesday. Given his career numbers against Wacha and a nine-game batting streak, McCutchen makes for an interesting choice Wednesday.

Cabrera went 1-for-4 with his third home run Tuesday, representing the entirety of the Detroit offense in a 5-1 loss at Tampa Bay.

After getting off to a 3-for-28 start without a single extra-base hit, Miggy has awoken with a five-game hitting streak that's seen him go 7-for-17 with three homers, a double and seven RBI. His stats still haven't caught up to their normal levels, but that's just a matter of time. Cabrera may be 34, but he's still one of the game's top hitters. It seems like the back pain that forced him out of Sunday's game is a non-issue, which is a relief.

McCutchen will return to playing center field following Starlin Marte's 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs, Bob Nightengale of the USA Today reports.

The move back to center field should be fairly natural for McCutchen, as he'd spent his entire career at the spot prior to the 2017 season. However, whether or not McCutchen continues playing center field once Marte is eligible to return remains to be seen. Although his line is just .250/.291/.423 for the season, McCutchen has recorded a hit in eight consecutive games and notched six RBI over that span.

Carpenter (finger) is out of the lineup for Tuesday's game against the Pirates.

The club has held true to its word that Carpenter wouldn't be rushed back into the lineup, as he's sitting out for the second day in a row. Jose Martinez will get the nod to start at first base instead of Carpenter on Tuesday. Consider Carpenter day-to-day heading into Wednesday's outing against Pittsburgh.

Cabrera (back) is starting at first base and hitting third in Tuesday's game against the Rays, Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press reports.

Cabrera left Sunday's game with back pain and received treatment to help alleviate the soreness Monday, as the Tigers had the day off. Cabrera, who's slashing an uncharacteristic .220/.347/.390, will look to improve as the Tigers take on a Tampa Bay squad that's starting the right-handed Matt Andriese.

Brantley went 1-for-4 with a solo home run and two RBI in Monday's 3-1 win over the Twins.

It was Brantley's second home run of the season, and the outfielder is now slashing .268/.348/.463 with two steals, eight RBI and four runs in 46 plate appearances. The Tribe is keeping him rested by sitting him against select left-handed pitchers after he played in just 11 games in 2016 due to a shoulder injury. The good news is that the 29-year-old looks fully healthy and should provide solid numbers across the board for fantasy owners who took the plunge on him. After all, he's just three years removed from a .327-20-97 season.

Carpenter's finger injury is lingering and he is questionable for Tuesday's game against the Pirates, Brian Stull of WGNU 920AM reports.

Manager Mike Matheny said he would have no qualms playing Jose Ramirez at first base again, so the Cardinals won't be rushing Carpenter back to action. Consider Carpenter day-to-day for now, but there's no expectation that this injury will force a stint on the disabled list.

Pederson is out of the Dodgers' lineup Monday against the Diamondbacks, MLB.com's Ken Gurnick reports.

With Los Angeles facing Arizona lefty Robbie Ray, Pederson will sit for the second time in three days. Enrique Hernandez will start in center field and hit sixth in his place.

Carpenter was removed from Monday's lineup against the Pirates due to swelling in his lacerated finger, Jenifer Langosch of the MLB.com reports.

Carpenter suffered the laceration after hit was hit by a ground ball in Sunday's game against the Yankees. His absence from the lineup will depend on how quickly he can get the swelling to go down.